Survival and Readmission Burden in Advanced Heart Failure Patients Managed With Ventricular Assist Device Versus Continued Medical Therapy.

As questions remain about the risk-benefit of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy, we evaluated the association between LVAD versus medical therapy for the competing risk of all-cause mortality and all-cause readmission. Among consecutive patients evaluated for advanced heart failure (HF) therapy, 260 were referred for LVAD implantation and 292 continued medical therapy in this retrospective, observational database study. At 2 years, all-cause mortality was significantly higher among medically managed patients versus LVAD recipients (37% vs.

GOLM1 Promotes Atherogenesis by Activating Macrophage EGFR-ERK Signaling Cascade.

Background: Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease. GOLM1 (Golgi membrane protein 1) is an inflammation-responsive protein and a mediator in some inflammation-associated pathological processes. Because we found a positive correlation between GOLM1 expression and atherosclerosis progression by checking the gene expression data set of human atherosclerotic lesions, we explored the potential significance of GOLM1 in atherosclerosis in this study.

Improved Medial-Internal Approach to Repair Posterior Root of Medial Meniscus by All-Suture Anchor Combined With Opening Wedge High Tibial Osteotomy.

Medial meniscus posterior root tears often occur in patients with lower limb varus malalignment, which leads to mechanical overloading of the medial compartment and premature cartilage wear. Such injuries are often treated by the pullout technique or the suture anchor technique. In this context, the technique of repairing the posterior root of the medial meniscus using all-suture anchors combined with an opening wedge high tibial osteotomy has been proposed.

Intrinsic electrical activity drives small-cell lung cancer progression.

Elevated or ectopic expression of neuronal receptors promotes tumour progression in many cancer types; neuroendocrine (NE) transformation of adenocarcinomas has also been associated with increased aggressiveness. Whether the defining neuronal feature, namely electrical excitability, exists in cancer cells and impacts cancer progression remains mostly unexplored. Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an archetypal example of a highly aggressive NE cancer and comprises two major distinct subpopulations: NE cells and non-NE cells.

APMAT analysis reveals the association between CD8 T cell receptors, cognate antigen, and T cell phenotype and persistence.

Elucidating the relationships between a class I peptide antigen, a CD8 T cell receptor (TCR) specific to that antigen, and the T cell phenotype that emerges following antigen stimulation, remains a mostly unsolved problem, largely due to the lack of large data sets that can be mined to resolve such relationships. Here, we describe Antigen-TCR Pairing and Multiomic Analysis of T-cells (APMAT), an integrated experimental-computational framework designed for the high-throughput capture and analysis of CD8 T cells, with paired antigen, TCR sequence, and single-cell transcriptome. Starting with 951 putative antigens representing a comprehensive survey of the SARS-CoV-2 viral proteome, we utilize APMAT for the capture and single cell analysis of CD8 T cells from 62 HLA A*02:01 COVID-19 participants.

Long-Term Prognostic Implications of Non-Culprit Lesions in Patients Presenting With an Acute Myocardial Infarction: Is It the Angiographic Stenosis Severity or the Underlying High-Risk Morphology?

Background: Patients with acute myocardial infarction and angiographically obstructive non-culprit lesions are at high risk for recurrent major adverse cardiac events (MACEs). However, it remains largely unknown whether events are due to stenosis severity or due to the underlying high-risk lesion morphology.

Methods: Between January 2017 and December 2021, 1312 patients with acute myocardial infarction underwent optical coherence tomography of all the 3 main epicardial arteries after successful percutaneous coronary intervention.

Myokines: metabolic regulation in obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Skeletal muscle plays a vital role in the regulation of systemic metabolism, partly through its secretion of endocrine factors which are collectively known as myokines. Altered myokine levels are associated with metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes (T2D). The significance of interorgan crosstalk, particularly through myokines, has emerged as a fundamental aspect of nutrient and energy homeostasis.

Biosynthesis of 10-Hydroxy-2-Decenoic Acid in Escherichia coli.

10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (10-HDA), a unique unsaturated fatty acid present in royal jelly, has attracted considerable interest due to its potential medical applications. However, its low concentration in royal jelly and complex conformational structure present challenges for large-scale production. In this study, we designed and constructed a de novo biosynthetic pathway for 10-HDA in Escherichia coli.

APMAT analysis reveals the association between CD8 T cell receptors, cognate antigen, and T cell phenotype and persistence.

Elucidating the relationships between a class I peptide antigen, a CD8 T cell receptor (TCR) specific to that antigen, and the T cell phenotype that emerges following antigen stimulation, remains a mostly unsolved problem, largely due to the lack of large data sets that can be mined to resolve such relationships. Here, we describe Antigen-TCR Pairing and Multiomic Analysis of T-cells (APMAT), an integrated experimental-computational framework designed for the high-throughput capture and analysis of CD8 T cells, with paired antigen, TCR sequence, and single-cell transcriptome. Starting with 951 putative antigens representing a comprehensive survey of the SARS-CoV-2 viral proteome, we utilize APMAT for the capture and single cell analysis of CD8 T cells from 62 HLA A*02:01 COVID-19 participants.

New Directions for Ophthalmic OCT - Handhelds, Surgery, and Robotics.

The introduction of optical coherence tomography (OCT) in the 1990s revolutionized diagnostic ophthalmic imaging. Initially, OCT's role was primarily in the adult ambulatory ophthalmic clinics. Subsequent advances in handheld form factors, integration into surgical microscopes, and robotic assistance have expanded OCT's utility and impact outside of its initial environment in the adult outpatient ophthalmic clinic.

Impact of Frailty on Antihypertensive Treatment in Older Adults.

Background: The association between systolic blood pressure and all-cause mortality differs between frail and nonfrail individuals, highlighting uncertainties about the effectiveness of antihypertensive treatments in frail populations.

Methods: Using data from the SHEP trial (Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program), a baseline frailty index (FI), including 55 variables, was constructed. Fine-Gray subdistribution hazard models and Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to explore the association between baseline FI and the risks of stroke, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause death, as well as to examine whether the impact of antihypertensive treatment on these outcomes was modified by baseline FI.

Validation Status of Electronic Sphygmomanometers in China: A National Survey.

Background: Although the information on the validation status of electronic sphygmomanometer (ES) devices in use in health care institutions and households is much more clinically relevant than that of ES models available on the market, it remains insufficient.

Methods: A national survey was conducted across all administrative regions of mainland China to assess the validation status of ESs. Fifty-eight cities were selected with stratification by municipality, provincial capital, and other cities, and health care institutions and households in each city were chosen by convenience to identify ES devices in use according to the study protocol.

Comparison of Associations of Food Security Instruments and Mediators With Premature All-Cause and Cardiovascular Disease Death in US Adults.

Background: Food insecurity is associated with high morbidity and mortality and is typically measured with the 10-item US Adult Food Security Survey Module. Shorter instruments may capture similar information, but this has not been validated against mortality in general populations.

Methods: A nationally representative sample of individuals aged 20 to 74 years from the US National Health Interview Survey 2011 to 2018 was included, with deaths linked to the National Death Index through 2019.

Functional differences between rodent and human PD-1 linked to evolutionary divergence.

Mechanistic understanding of the inhibitory immunoreceptor PD-1 is largely based on mouse models, but human and mouse PD-1 share only 59.6% amino acid identity. Here, we found that human PD-1 is more inhibitory than mouse PD-1, owing to stronger interactions with the ligands PD-L1 and PD-L2 and more efficient recruitment of the effector phosphatase Shp2.

Transcranial Cortex-Wide Imaging of Murine Ischemic Perfusion With Large-Field Multifocal Illumination Microscopy.

Background: Ischemic stroke is a common cause of death worldwide and a main cause of morbidity. Presently, laser speckle contrast imaging, x-ray computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging are the mainstay for stroke diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring in preclinical studies. These modalities are often limited in terms of their ability to map brain perfusion with sufficient spatial and temporal resolution, thus calling for development of new brain perfusion techniques featuring rapid imaging speed, cost-effectiveness, and ease of use.

Effects of preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy on embryo transfer outcomes in women of advanced reproductive age with no more than three retrieved oocytes.

Objective: To evaluate whether preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) benefits women of advanced reproductive age (≥38 years old) with a diminished ovarian reserve (not more than three retrieved oocytes).

Design: A retrospective analysis comparing two groups: (a) PGT-A group: women who chose PGT-A and subsequent single re-warmed embryo transfers and (b) non-PGT-A group: women who chose not to genetically test their embryos and underwent subsequent fresh or re-warmed embryo transfers of one to two embryos on days 3 or 5.

Subjects: Two hundred thirty patients underwent PGT-A therapy, with 49 of these individuals undergoing more than one PGT-A cycle.

Next-Generation Sequencing-Based MSI Scoring Predicts Benefit in Mismatch Repair-Deficient Tumors Treated with Nivolumab: Follow-up on NCI-MATCH Arm Z1D.

Purpose: Mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) tumors have demonstrated favorable responses to immune checkpoint inhibition targeting PD-1. However, more in-depth identification of predictors of response could further refine patient selection for immunotherapy treatment.

Patients And Methods: We undertook integrated evaluation performed on samples collected from 28 of 42 patients enrolled on the NCI-Molecular Analysis for Therapy Choice arm Z1D trial that evaluated PD-1 inhibition treatment with nivolumab in patients with noncolorectal dMMR tumors.

TMS and EEG Pharmacodynamic Effects of a Selective Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Subtype 1 Receptor Agonist on Cortical Excitability in Healthy Subjects.

Current anti-epileptic drugs lack efficacy, cause many side effects and one third of all patients are treatment-resistant. Drugs targeting the sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor show potential anti-convulsant effects in animal models and decrease cortical excitability in patients with multiple sclerosis, but available compounds alter lymphocyte trafficking and cause immunosuppression, limiting their clinical anti-epileptic potential. TRV045 is a selective sphingosine-1-phosphate subtype 1 receptor agonist without effects on lymphocyte trafficking, demonstrating efficacy in animal models of epilepsy, with the potential to target abnormal cortical excitability.

Patient-Reported Outcomes after Surgery for Pigmented Villonodular Synovitis in the Knee: A Cohort Study.

Pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) is a rare neoplastic proliferation of large joints, including the knee, with both localized PVNS (LPVNS) and diffuse PVNS (DPVNS) types. DPVNS is known to recur at a higher rate following resection; however, there is little evidence comparing patient-reported outcomes (PROs) between the two types. The purpose of this study was to compare PROs between patients with LPVNS and DPVNS involving the knee 2 years after surgical resection.

Efficacy and Safety of a Dedicated Device for Cerebral Venous Thrombectomy: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: Lack of a dedicated thrombectomy device for cerebral venous thrombosis hinders the recanalization ability of endovascular treatment (EVT). Novel NiTi-braided stent retriever (Venous-TD) is a dedicated venous sinus thrombectomy device. This study aims to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of Venous-TD.

Adjunctive Middle Meningeal Artery Embolization for Subdural Hematoma.

Background: Subacute and chronic subdural hematomas are common and frequently recur after surgical evacuation. The effect of adjunctive middle meningeal artery embolization on the risk of reoperation remains unclear.

Methods: In a prospective, multicenter, interventional, adaptive-design trial, we randomly assigned patients with symptomatic subacute or chronic subdural hematoma with an indication for surgical evacuation to undergo middle meningeal artery embolization plus surgery (treatment group) or surgery alone (control group).

Neuroprotective Effects of Rapid Local Ischemic Postconditioning in Successful Endovascular Thrombectomy Patients.

Background: We aim to assess the efficacy of rapid local ischemic postconditioning (RL-IPostC) following successful reperfusion in patients with acute ischemic stroke with anterior circulation large vessel occlusion who underwent endovascular thrombectomy.

Methods: We conducted an ambidirectional cohort study with 78 prospectively enrolled patients with RL-IPostC and endovascular thrombectomy and 129 retrospectively enrolled patients with endovascular thrombectomy. The RL-IPostC procedure involved 5 cycles of 15-s balloon inflation and deflation in the ipsilateral internal carotid artery.